Written by Mindi Jentes
January 19, 2007
Inspired by The Sister's Secret Garden
at Inniswood Metro Gardens, Westerville, Ohio
Inhaling the clean air around me
Dancing in fields of grass
Journeying down the path unwinding
Caressing the flow’rs as I pass
Before me lies the forest
The trees stretch to the sun
The stream has a message
“You’re journey’s just begun.”
Pushing wide the gate before me
Entering the tranquil scene
Listening, Do I hear Him?
He whispers like the stream
Following the mysterious pathway,
It’s tucked between the walls.
Pushing back the ivy tendrils
Do I hear my Lover’s Call?
Inside the secret garden,
The dew clothes the ground.
For to hear the Music playing,
I must be silent, not a sound.
The leaves begin to rustle
The trees gently sway
The breeze combs through my hair
He’s whispering: “Come this way.”
The Season now to enter
My long awaited rest,
Is standing here before me
‘Tis the end of my long quest.
Letting His loving arms enfold me,
Placing my head upon his breast
Holding tight to Him always,
For in Him I’ve found sweet rest.
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
Matthew 11:19 NLT
Saturday, January 20, 2007
Friday, January 19, 2007
It Is Well With My Soul, 3rd Stanza
The story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead has really struck a chord with me lately. Jesus was going about His Father's business when Martha rushes to beg him to go with her to Bethany to heal Lazarus. Jesus tells them that Lazarus' illness will not end in death and so he chooses to continue his ministry rather than go to Lazarus. His disciples are dumb-founded by this and question him. Here's what He tells them:
(John 11:4, 9-11 NLT) "Lazarus' sickness will not end in death. No it happened for the glory of God so that the Son of God will recieve glory from this. There are twelve hours of daylight every day. During the day people can walk safely. They can see because they have the light of this world. But at night there is danger of stumbling because they have no light. Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but now I will go and wake him up."
Ah-ha! Do you ever those moments? The "Ah-ha!" moments when you finally see something you've been searching for? Well this is one of them for me. God has taken something from me that causes me to ache in my soul. This Ah-ha moment answers the question "Why?" Take a look again at what Jesus said, "it happened for the glory of God, so that the Son of God will recieve glory from this."
If this incredibly special thing from God was not taken from me then I would continue to stumble around in the darkness looking to my own strength and power to accomplish many things. God had to take it away from me, to humble me. To show me that I was not walking in the Light. I was treading on dangerous ground and the enemy was lurking around the dumpster in the dark alley of life waiting to devour me!
I believe that someday this thing that God has removed from my life will be given back to me. Only this time, I must recieve it as a precious thing to be highly valued and guarded. This very special thing must only be used to bring honor and glory to the Lord Jesus Christ. When God has finished reconstructing my heart to be a little more like His, I am confident that this precious thing taken from me will be returned... just like Lazarus was given back to his sisters. Then, through this thing, I will experience the incredible joy that come from giving Jesus all the glory and praise!
My sin-- O, the bliss of this glorious thought,
my sin not in part but the whole,
is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more:
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
It Is Well With My Soul!
(John 11:4, 9-11 NLT) "Lazarus' sickness will not end in death. No it happened for the glory of God so that the Son of God will recieve glory from this. There are twelve hours of daylight every day. During the day people can walk safely. They can see because they have the light of this world. But at night there is danger of stumbling because they have no light. Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but now I will go and wake him up."
Ah-ha! Do you ever those moments? The "Ah-ha!" moments when you finally see something you've been searching for? Well this is one of them for me. God has taken something from me that causes me to ache in my soul. This Ah-ha moment answers the question "Why?" Take a look again at what Jesus said, "it happened for the glory of God, so that the Son of God will recieve glory from this."
If this incredibly special thing from God was not taken from me then I would continue to stumble around in the darkness looking to my own strength and power to accomplish many things. God had to take it away from me, to humble me. To show me that I was not walking in the Light. I was treading on dangerous ground and the enemy was lurking around the dumpster in the dark alley of life waiting to devour me!
I believe that someday this thing that God has removed from my life will be given back to me. Only this time, I must recieve it as a precious thing to be highly valued and guarded. This very special thing must only be used to bring honor and glory to the Lord Jesus Christ. When God has finished reconstructing my heart to be a little more like His, I am confident that this precious thing taken from me will be returned... just like Lazarus was given back to his sisters. Then, through this thing, I will experience the incredible joy that come from giving Jesus all the glory and praise!
My sin-- O, the bliss of this glorious thought,
my sin not in part but the whole,
is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more:
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
It Is Well With My Soul!
Thursday, January 18, 2007
It Is Well With My Soul, 2nd Stanza
Ever have one of those days where you were so emotionally sensitive that seeing a jar of peanut butter almost caused you to burst into tears?!? Today was one of those days for me. And right now at 11:45pm the feeling hasn't past yet.
Sometimes, I wish I could just completely and utterly, from the depths of my gutt bawl like a child with sheer exhaustion! Ever feel like that? Jesus did. Jesus felt the same emotions we feel. Jesus cried, and probably not as neatly as our modern English makes it seem. "Jesus wept." (John 11:35) It sounds so tidy and neat. So composed and so refined. As if he were some ultra clean-cut, red tied, business suit wearing, red hanky carrying dignitary from the highest ranks in Washington-- patting away a single tear as it slowly meandered down over his plump tan-less cheek.
My Jesus did not weep. He BAWLED! He was an exhausted scrawny, long scraggly haired, fuzzy bearded, sun drenched, long dingy robed, worn out sandals wearing Savior of the World interrupted in his journey by his very dear friend's untimely death. When Jesus arrived on the scene, he was scorned and questioned for not having arrived on time to heal his friend. He was mocked for calling himself the Savior of the World, and yet he couldn't save his dearest friend from death. Even his closest friends and disciples doubted and wondered about who He said He was.
And yet in the middle of it all, he collapse alongside Mary and Martha and wailed the cry of death! Surely he poured out his anguish until he ached in his gutt. Jesus was FULLY human! Is this not how we cry at the loss of a loved one? He was also FULLY God! He knew that the crowd of mourners would doubt His Deity. He knew that Lazarus would die. He knew that He would also raise Lazarus to life again! And so He, being fully human and fully God, shouted to the dead man in the grave "Come Out!" And Lazarus came out-- alive AND well!
So do you think Jesus cares about how I felt today? Fully covered in grief and emotion? I did not lose a loved one, but my sorrow seems just as great to me. The longing and aching in my soul is just as real to me as any death could be. There is no greater pain than to have had something to only lose it, taken from you by God. The reason for this loss? That's between me and God. Will it ever be returned to me again? I beg God that it will. Will the dream ever die? Probably not. Will I ache forever? Maybe. For the last 10 years, the aching has come and gone. Today it is back. Today I mourn. Today I cry out from the depths of despair! Today I beg God to give me back that part of me that is so dear. Today I do not doubt Him. Today I do not cry, "if only..." Today I simply fall to my knees and cry, and cry, and cry. But not alone. Today I had my dearest friend of all join me. Jesus.
Though Satan should buffet,
Though trials should come,
Let this blessed assurance control:
The Lord hath regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed his own blood for my soul.
It is well with my soul!
Sometimes, I wish I could just completely and utterly, from the depths of my gutt bawl like a child with sheer exhaustion! Ever feel like that? Jesus did. Jesus felt the same emotions we feel. Jesus cried, and probably not as neatly as our modern English makes it seem. "Jesus wept." (John 11:35) It sounds so tidy and neat. So composed and so refined. As if he were some ultra clean-cut, red tied, business suit wearing, red hanky carrying dignitary from the highest ranks in Washington-- patting away a single tear as it slowly meandered down over his plump tan-less cheek.
My Jesus did not weep. He BAWLED! He was an exhausted scrawny, long scraggly haired, fuzzy bearded, sun drenched, long dingy robed, worn out sandals wearing Savior of the World interrupted in his journey by his very dear friend's untimely death. When Jesus arrived on the scene, he was scorned and questioned for not having arrived on time to heal his friend. He was mocked for calling himself the Savior of the World, and yet he couldn't save his dearest friend from death. Even his closest friends and disciples doubted and wondered about who He said He was.
And yet in the middle of it all, he collapse alongside Mary and Martha and wailed the cry of death! Surely he poured out his anguish until he ached in his gutt. Jesus was FULLY human! Is this not how we cry at the loss of a loved one? He was also FULLY God! He knew that the crowd of mourners would doubt His Deity. He knew that Lazarus would die. He knew that He would also raise Lazarus to life again! And so He, being fully human and fully God, shouted to the dead man in the grave "Come Out!" And Lazarus came out-- alive AND well!
So do you think Jesus cares about how I felt today? Fully covered in grief and emotion? I did not lose a loved one, but my sorrow seems just as great to me. The longing and aching in my soul is just as real to me as any death could be. There is no greater pain than to have had something to only lose it, taken from you by God. The reason for this loss? That's between me and God. Will it ever be returned to me again? I beg God that it will. Will the dream ever die? Probably not. Will I ache forever? Maybe. For the last 10 years, the aching has come and gone. Today it is back. Today I mourn. Today I cry out from the depths of despair! Today I beg God to give me back that part of me that is so dear. Today I do not doubt Him. Today I do not cry, "if only..." Today I simply fall to my knees and cry, and cry, and cry. But not alone. Today I had my dearest friend of all join me. Jesus.
Though Satan should buffet,
Though trials should come,
Let this blessed assurance control:
The Lord hath regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed his own blood for my soul.
It is well with my soul!
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
"It Is Well With My Soul", 1st Stanza
Ever stop to think about who'd you want to sit with you while you mourned the loss of a loved one? In Biblical times people did just that. I have to admit, I had mixed emotions when I first learned that. I am not very comfortable crying in front of people. I try to contain myself and cry later. Or I simply explode with emotions, uncontained, unreserved, hysterical, and full of words I don't always mean.
After thinking about how I tend to respond, I thought, "who on earth would WANT to sit with me?" Well, then it struck me. My family and my best friend Angie.
Oh, we've had lots of those ranting and raving kinds of days. Coffee and venting. Kids running all around and interrupting while we let each other have it with all our frustrations and annoyances. It's really rather hysterical. We usually get to laughing so hard that we nearly fall over. Boy does it feel good to get it off our chests!
Today was NOT one of those days! Today we tried to chat as usual, were interrupted a million times by our kids, a visiting neighbor, an MIA fish in the aquarium (what a hysterical story that one is), and a kitchen piled high with dirty dishes. Sound familiar? If you're a normal mom, you feel my pain.
While we tried to chat, I attempted to fill her in something that the Lord was challenging me to do. Something that nearly paralyzed me with anxiety. As I shared this with her, I could feel her praying for me. I then played her a song that when I heard it the first time I broke down in tears, overcome with emotion over the sheer magnamity of the music. While she listened, I was chipping away at the mountain of dishes. She was sitting at the dining room table. As she listened, I "caught" her with her eyes closed listening deeply to the song...or perhaps praying. All I know is that it caught me by surprise and the image is now burned in my memory.
So what's the point of all this? My best friend, who couldn't sing-- she would say-- to save her life, took great interest in my hearts desire, and I know is praying to that end. She's definately one of the people I want to sit by me when I mourn.
And I can say with this blessed assurance... whatever my lot...
"When peace like a river attendeth my way
When sorrows like sea billows roll
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say
It is well, It is well, with my soul."
After thinking about how I tend to respond, I thought, "who on earth would WANT to sit with me?" Well, then it struck me. My family and my best friend Angie.
Oh, we've had lots of those ranting and raving kinds of days. Coffee and venting. Kids running all around and interrupting while we let each other have it with all our frustrations and annoyances. It's really rather hysterical. We usually get to laughing so hard that we nearly fall over. Boy does it feel good to get it off our chests!
Today was NOT one of those days! Today we tried to chat as usual, were interrupted a million times by our kids, a visiting neighbor, an MIA fish in the aquarium (what a hysterical story that one is), and a kitchen piled high with dirty dishes. Sound familiar? If you're a normal mom, you feel my pain.
While we tried to chat, I attempted to fill her in something that the Lord was challenging me to do. Something that nearly paralyzed me with anxiety. As I shared this with her, I could feel her praying for me. I then played her a song that when I heard it the first time I broke down in tears, overcome with emotion over the sheer magnamity of the music. While she listened, I was chipping away at the mountain of dishes. She was sitting at the dining room table. As she listened, I "caught" her with her eyes closed listening deeply to the song...or perhaps praying. All I know is that it caught me by surprise and the image is now burned in my memory.
So what's the point of all this? My best friend, who couldn't sing-- she would say-- to save her life, took great interest in my hearts desire, and I know is praying to that end. She's definately one of the people I want to sit by me when I mourn.
And I can say with this blessed assurance... whatever my lot...
"When peace like a river attendeth my way
When sorrows like sea billows roll
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say
It is well, It is well, with my soul."
Monday, January 15, 2007
All I wanted for Christmas was a real good tan!
What a wonderful Christmas our family had in the Florida Keys. God blessed us with some much needed time away, sun on our faces, and great time catching up with the rest of our family. The kids had a blast! And so did mom and dad. Lazy days in the sun. The squeel of sea gulls. The smell of salty air. A great rejuvinator! Thanks God for being so generous to us!
What a wonderful Christmas our family had in the Florida Keys. God blessed us with some much needed time away, sun on our faces, and great time catching up with the rest of our family. The kids had a blast! And so did mom and dad. Lazy days in the sun. The squeel of sea gulls. The smell of salty air. A great rejuvinator! Thanks God for being so generous to us!
A return to blogging
Wow, it's been a really long time since I've blogged! Oh how time flies.
This is my official re-entry back into web logging.
This is my official re-entry back into web logging.
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